English 101

1. English 101

2. What makes a good, academic introduction?

3. What makes a good, academic introduction? • Make sure your reader has all of the background information they need to know about your subject to understand your argument. This may include: • A working definition of your terms • Synthesis of the current debate • Summary of what has been said • Accepted or rejected previous ideas • AVOID: Universal and/or obvious statements • Gain the reader’s attention and guide them toward a purpose • This does not need to be in the form of a hook. • Introduce the scope of your argument/analysis (i.e. your lines of argument) • Articulate a concise, argumentative thesis, and why that thesis is important.

4. Working Definitions • Often, it is best if you can provide a working definition of your key term(s). If you are critiquing thoughts surrounding a particular idea, you are going to want to define how other use the idea, versus how you are going to claim it to be and use it in the rest of your paper.

5. Sample Introduction Analysis The transition from high school to a University can be overwhelming in many aspects but one of the most substantial changes is the expectation that teachers have for their students’work. In English courses specifically, students are expected to use a dialogue that is more advanced than that in high school, and geared towards their audience. This academic discourse is debated to be the most important aspect of successful writing between scholars in the community around introductory English courses. As a student that is currently in this classroom setting, I believe that I have an insight into what makes teachers deem a students writing successful or not. Many administrators and professors of English composition believe that the correct usage of grammar is what constitutes for good writing, but these scholars should consider teaching their students to write in an academic discourse as it will not only improve their academic performance in college, and aid them as they try to enter their careers after college.

6. Group Work • In groups of 2, use your proposals to discuss what components may be necessary in your introduction to prepare your audience for your specific thesis. You will have different things on your lists—this is good. Every thesis will require different context within the introduction; try to be as specific as possible when thinking of introduction content. Make a list of things you need to include in your introduction to refer back to later when you start writing.

7. What makes a good academic thesis?

8. What makes a good academic thesis? • A clear, concise, argumentative thesis that is not a pseudo-argument, i.e. there is a real chance that your audience will accept your argument. • If your thesis has multiple parts, it should mimic the structure of the essay as a whole. For example, if your thesis is “I argue that plagiarism needs to be taken more seriously than it is right now because of X, Y, and Z,” then you need to have your paragraph on X first, Y second, and Z third. • Since you will be calling for some kind of change (in the what academics feel, know, believe, or do) it is a good idea to acknowledge their views and assuage their anxieties by including their counterargumentive point in the thesis.

9. Argument v Report • THESIS: However no matter the costs, chronic pain is an issue that is continually being researched and discussed so that hopefully one-day doctors will be able and willing to properly define, diagnosis, and treat chronic pain. • NOTES: "Is this your thesis statement? If so, it will not work for this paper because you do not put forth an argument in it. Remember that your thesis has to state your position on the issue. It must be a statement that a reasonable could disagree with.” • 1) Create a thesis statement that articulates your position on the topic. In other words, have a thesis that states your argument. • 2) Have 2-3 lines of argument (points) that support your thesis. Devote a paragraph of discussion to each line of argument. Also, make sure that it is clear to your reader that you are only using the sources to support your position on the issue. In order to do this, your voice must be dominant throughout the paper. Remember that it is your argument; you are just using the sources to support your position.

10. Example Thesis • “While composition scholars have tended to believe X, future teachers and pedagogy theorists should consider Y because A, B, and C.” “While composition scholars have tended to believe that students need to learn to write about general topics before they specialize, pedagogy theorists should consider the value of writing within the disciplines early in the college career because it will encourage students to engage in the material and better prepare them for their future careers.”

11. Bad Introduction • Since the beginning of time, plagiarism has been around and has been a problem for teachers. It goes without saying that plagiarism is a problem because it is bad. But, teachers don’t know how to stop plagiarism. Students care alot about plagiarism in our society today. Therefore, teachers should be doing more. I don’t like that students get punished for plagiarism. You know, not all plagiarism cases are the same. Therefore, teachers should use restorative justice.

12. Draft your Thesis • Get a rough draft of your thesis on your paper—this doesn’t need to be a final, polished version, just an articulation of your thoughts. Try to go for your “lol” thesis: state your main point in the simplest language possible. Then, expand from there to form an academic, detailed version for your paper. • http://lolmythesis.com/

13. Homework • Write your introduction • Draft your Topic Sentences (since you should be thinking about your lines of argument anyway.